The temple is located in the holy town of Sirkazhi in Nagapattinam district. Thirumangai Azhvar was initiated by Saiva Kuravar Sambandar to praise the Almighty through Pasurams. The God in the temple is praised as Mann alantha Tadalan meaning the one who measured the land.[2] The name Tadalan is in honour of Tiruvikrama (Vamana) form and the moolavar (prime deity) fixed in the central shrine is in this form. The presiding deity, Tiruvikrama, appeared for sage Ashtakoma.[3][4]

1.
Tamil Nadu
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Tamil Nadu is one of the 29 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai, Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Puducherry and the South Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. The state shares a border with the nation of Sri Lanka. Tamil Nadu is the eleventh-largest state in India by area and the sixth-most populous, the state was ranked sixth among states in India according to the Human Development Index in 2011, with the second-largest state economy after Maharashtra. Tamil Nadu is the second largest state economy in India with ₹13,842 billion in gross domestic product after Maharashtra. Tamil Nadu was ranked as one of the top seven developed states in India based on a Multidimensional Development Index in a 2013 report published by the Reserve Bank of India and its official language is Tamil, which is one of the longest-surviving classical languages in the world. Tamil Nadu is home to natural resources. In addition, its people have developed and continue classical arts, classical music, historic buildings and religious sites include Hindu temples of Tamil architecture, hill stations, beach resorts, multi-religious pilgrimage sites, and eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Archaeological evidence points to this area being one of the longest continuous habitations in the Indian peninsula, the ASI archaeologists have proposed that the script used at that site is very rudimentary Tamil Brahmi. Adichanallur has been announced as a site for further excavation. About 60 per cent of the epigraphical inscriptions found by the ASI in India are from Tamil Nadu. A Neolithic stone celt with the Indus script on it was discovered at Sembian-Kandiyur near Mayiladuthurai in Tamil Nadu, according to epigraphist Iravatham Mahadevan, this was the first datable artefact bearing the Indus script to be found in Tamil Nadu. Mahadevan claimed that the find was evidence of the use of the Harappan language, the date of the celt was estimated at between 1500 BCE and 2000 BCE. The early history of the people and rulers of Tamil Nadu is a topic in Tamil literary sources known as Sangam literature, numismatic, archaeological and literary sources corroborate that the Sangam period lasted for about six centuries, from 300 BC to AD300. Three dynasties, namely the Chera, Chola and Pandya, ruled the area of present-day Tamil Nadu, the Chera ruled the whole of present-day Kerala and parts of western Tamil Nadu comprising Coimbatore, Dharmapuri, Karur, Salem and Erode districts from the capital of Vanchi Muthur. The Chola dynasty ruled the northern and central parts of Tamil Nadu from their capital, Uraiyur, All three dynasties had extensive trade relationships with Rome, Greece, Egypt, Ceylon, Phoenicia, Arabia, Mesopotamia and Persia. Trade flourished in commodities such as spices, ivory, pearls, beads, Chera traded extensively from Muziris on the west coast, Chola from Arikamedu and Puhar and Pandya through Korkai port. A Greco-Roman trade and travel document, the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea gives a description of the Tamil country, besides these three dynasties, the Sangam era Tamilakam was also divided into various provinces named nadu, meaning country

2.
India
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India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and it is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, in the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Indias Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a border with Thailand. The Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilisation of the 3rd millennium BCE, in the following millennium, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism began to be composed. Social stratification, based on caste, emerged in the first millennium BCE, early political consolidations took place under the Maurya and Gupta empires, the later peninsular Middle Kingdoms influenced cultures as far as southeast Asia. In the medieval era, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived, much of the north fell to the Delhi sultanate, the south was united under the Vijayanagara Empire. The economy expanded in the 17th century in the Mughal empire, in the mid-18th century, the subcontinent came under British East India Company rule, and in the mid-19th under British crown rule. A nationalist movement emerged in the late 19th century, which later, under Mahatma Gandhi, was noted for nonviolent resistance, in 2015, the Indian economy was the worlds seventh largest by nominal GDP and third largest by purchasing power parity. Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the major economies and is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, a nuclear weapons state and regional power, it has the third largest standing army in the world and ranks sixth in military expenditure among nations. India is a constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society and is home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats. The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word Hindu, the latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi, which translates as The people of the Indus, the geographical term Bharat, which is recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country, is used by many Indian languages in its variations. Scholars believe it to be named after the Vedic tribe of Bharatas in the second millennium B. C. E and it is also traditionally associated with the rule of the legendary emperor Bharata. Gaṇarājya is the Sanskrit/Hindi term for republic dating back to the ancient times, hindustan is a Persian name for India dating back to the 3rd century B. C. E. It was introduced into India by the Mughals and widely used since then and its meaning varied, referring to a region that encompassed northern India and Pakistan or India in its entirety

3.
Nagapattinam
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Nagapattinam is a town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Nagapattinam District. The town came to prominence during the period of Medieval Cholas and served as their important port for commerce, the Chudamani Vihara in Nagapattinam constructed by the Sri Lankan king with the help of Chola kingdom is an important Buddhist structure of the times. Nagapattinam was settled by the Portuguese and, later, the Dutch under whom it served as the capital of Dutch Coromandel from 1660 to 1781, in November 1781, the town was conquered by the British East India Company. It served as the capital of Tanjore district from 1799 to 1845 under Madras Presidency of the British and it continued to be a part of Thanjavur district in Independent India. In 1991, it was made the headquarters of the newly created Nagapattinam District, Nagapattinam is administered by a Selection-grade municipality covering an area of 14.92 km2 and had a population of 102,905 as of 2011. A majority of the people of Nagapattinam are employed in trading, fishing, agriculture. Kayarohanaswami Temple and Soundararajaperumal Temple, Nagapattinam are the major Hindu pilgrimage sites, Nagapattinam is the base for tourism for Sikkal, Velankanni, Poompuhar, Kodiyaikkarai, Vedaranyam, Mannargudi and Tharangambadi. Roadways is the mode of transport to Nagapattinam, while the city also has rail. The town, along with the district, was damaged by the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. Nagapattinam is derived from Nagar referring to people from Sri Lanka who settled here and it was also called Cholakula Vallipattinam during the Chola period, when it was one of the important ports. Ptolemy refers to Nagapattinam as Nikam and mentions it as one of the most important trade centres of the ancient Tamil country and this view is doubtful as there are no contemporary evidences to prove the existence of a metropolis in the name of Nikama or Nikam. Nagapattinam was referred by early writers and the Portuguese as the city of Coromandel, Appar and Tirugnanasambandar, the 7th-century saint poets refer to the city as Nagai in their verses in Tevaram. The town was originally called Nagai and the word Pattinam was attached during the Chola era when it emerged as an important port, there are urn burials in and around the city from the Sangam period indicating some level of human habitation. There are no references to Nagapattinam during the c. The neighbouring port, Kaveripoompattinam, was the capital of the Chola kingdom of the Sangam Age, the early works of Tevaram by the 7th-century poets Appar and Tirugnanasambandar mention the town had fortified walls, busy road building and a busy port. The inscriptions from the Kayarohanswami temple indicate the construction was initiated during the reign of the Pallava king, a Buddhist pagoda was built under Chinese influence by the Pallava king and the town was frequented by Buddhist travelers. In the 11th century CE, Chudamani Vihara, a Buddhist monastery, was built by Javanese king Sri Vijaya Soolamanivarman with the patronage of Raja Raja Chola, Nagapattinam was the prominent port of Cholas for trade and a conquering gateway to the east. In the early 16th century the Portuguese made commercial contacts with the town, the Portuguese also conducted missionary enterprise here

4.
Sirkazhi
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Sirkazhi is a municipal town in Nagapattinam district in Tamil Nadu, India. It is located 13 km from the coast of the Bay of Bengal, Sirkazhi was a part of Thanjavur district until 1991 and has later been part of Nagapattinam district. The town covers an area of 13.21 km2 and in 2011 had a population of 34,927 and it is administered by a second grade municipality. A Sirkazhi is part of the Cauvery delta region and agriculture is the major occupation, roads are the main means of transportation, the town has 51.47 km of district roads, including a national highway. The town is believed to be of significant antiquity and has been ruled by the Medieval Cholas, Later Cholas, Later Pandyas, the Vijayanagar Empire, the Marathas, the Tamil trinity of Carnatic music, Arunachala Kavirayar, Muthu Thandavar and Marimutthu Pillai, originated from Sirkazhi. The Saiva saint Tirugnanasambandar, foremost of the Saiva Nayanars, was here in the seventh century. The history of the town is centred on the Sattainathar Temple, in ancient times, this town had twelve different names, including Brahmapuram, Venupuram, Thonipuram, Kazhumalam, Pugali, Sirkazhiswaram and Shri Kali. According to Hindu legend, during one of the biggest deluges that submerged the planet earth, the presiding deity in the temple, Shiva, is thus called Thoniappar and the region is called Thonipuram. The Hindu god Brahma is believed to have worshiped Shiva here, giving the name Bhramapureeswarar, Shiva is believed to have quelled the arrogance of Hindu god Vishnu, after showing his dominance over the three worlds and hence got the name Sattainathar here. The town is thus called Sattainathapuram, which in times, is a suburb within Sirkazhi. The town was known as Kalumalam during the early Chola period, thirugnanasambandar, the seventh century Saiva nayanar, as an infant is believed to have been fed with the milk of wisdom by the divine mother Parvati on the banks of the temple tank. The child Sambandar started singing the anthology of Tevaram hymns from then on, Sambandar refers the town as Kazhi in his verses. It was called Shiyali during British rule, and after Independence, the earliest mention of Sirkazhi is found in the history of the Chola king Kocengannan from the Sangam Age, who is believed to have won a bloody battle here. During the 7th–8th century, there were disputes between the Hindu sects of Saivism and Vaishnavism. The Chola Kings ruled over the region for more than four centuries, from 850 to 1280, there 41 inscriptions from the Chola kings in the temple that record various gifts like land, sheep, cow and oil to the temple. The region fell under the control of Pandyas in 1532 and later part of the Thanjavur Nayak kingdom. The region was conquered in 1674 by Ekoji I, the Maratha enemy of the Nawab of Bijapur, the town and the region became part of the British East India Company during the mid-18th century. Tanjore district was constituted in 1799 when the Thanjavur Maratha ruler Serfoji II ceded most of his kingdom to the British East India Company in return for his restitution on the throne

5.
Vishnu
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Vishnu is one of the principal deities of Hinduism, and the Supreme Being in its Vaishnavism tradition. Along with Brahma and Shiva, Vishnu forms a Hindu trinity, however and his avatars most notably include Krishna in the Mahabharata and Rama in the Ramayana. He is also known as Narayana, Jagannath, Vasudeva, Vithoba and he is one of the five equivalent deities worshipped in Panchayatana puja of the Smarta Tradition of Hinduism. In Hindu inconography, Vishnu is usually depicted as having a dark, or pale blue complexion and having four arms. He holds a padma in his left hand, Kaumodaki gada in his lower right hand, Panchajanya shankha in his upper left hand. A traditional depiction is Lord Vishnu reclining on the coils of Ananta, accompanied by his consort devi Lakshmi, yaska, the mid 1st-millennium BCE Vedanga scholar, in his Nirukta, defines Vishnu as viṣṇur viṣvater vā vyaśnoter vā, one who enters everywhere. He also writes, atha yad viṣito bhavati tad viṣnurbhavati, that which is free from fetters, the medieval Indian scholar Medhātithi suggested that the word Vishnu has etymological roots in viś, meaning to pervade, thereby connoting that Vishnu is one who is everything and inside everything. Vishnu is a Vedic deity, but not a prominent one when compared to Indra, Agni, just 5 out of 1028 hymns of the Rigveda, a 2nd millennium BCE Hindu text, are dedicated to Vishnu, and he finds minor mention in the other hymns. Though a minor mention and with overlapping attributes in the Vedas, he has important characteristics in various hymns of Rig Veda and he is also described in the Vedic literature as the one who supports heaven and earth. In the Vedic hymns, Vishnu is invoked alongside other deities, especially Indra and his distinguishing characteristic in Vedas is his association with light. Two Rigvedic hymns in Mandala 7 refer to Vishnu, in section 7.99 of the Rgveda, Vishnu is addressed as the god who separates heaven and earth, a characteristic he shares with Indra. In the Vedic texts, the deity or god referred to as Vishnu is Surya or Savitr, in hymn 7.99 of Rigveda, Indra-Vishnu are equivalent and produce the sun, with the verses asserting that this sun is the source of all energy and light for all. In other hymns of the Rigveda, Vishnu is a friend of Indra. In the Yajurveda, Taittiriya Aranyaka, Narayana sukta, Narayana is mentioned as the supreme being, the first verse of Narayana Suktam mentions the words paramam padam, which literally mean highest post and may be understood as the supreme abode for all souls. This is also known as Param Dhama, Paramapadam or Vaikuntha, Rig Veda 1.22.20 a also mentions the same paramam padam. In the Atharvaveda, the mythology of a boar who raises goddess earth from the depths of cosmic ocean appears, in post-Vedic mythology, this legend becomes one of the basis of many cosmogonic myth called the Varaha legend, with Varaha as an avatar of Vishnu. Several hymns of the Rigveda repeat the mighty deed of Vishnu called the Trivikrama and it is an inspiration for ancient artwork in numerous Hindu temples such as at the Ellora Caves, which depict the Trivikrama legend through the Vamana avatar of Vishnu. Trivikrama refers to the three steps or three strides of Vishnu

6.
Lakshmi
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Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, fortune and prosperity. She is the wife and shakti of Vishnu, a god in Hinduism. Lakshmi is also an important deity in Jainism and found in Jain temples, Lakshmi was also a goddess of abundance and fortune for Buddhists, and was represented on the oldest surviving stupas and cave temples of Buddhism. In Buddhist sects of Tibet, Nepal and southeast Asia, goddess Vasudhara mirrors the characteristics, Lakshmi is also called Sri or Thirumagal because she is endowed with six auspicious and divine qualities, or gunas, and is the divine strength of Vishnu. In Hindu religion, she was born from the churning of the primordial ocean, when Vishnu descended on the Earth as the avatars Rama and Krishna, Lakshmi descended as his respective consort Sita and Rukmini. In the ancient scriptures of India, all women are declared to be embodiments of Lakshmi, the marriage and relationship between Lakshmi and Vishnu as wife and husband is the paradigm for rituals and ceremonies for the bride and groom in Hindu weddings. Lakshmi is considered another aspect of the supreme goddess principle in the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism. She typically stands or sits like a yogin on a pedestal and holds lotus in her hand. Her iconography shows her with four hands, which represent the four goals of life considered important to the Hindu way of life, dharma, kāma, artha. Archaeological discoveries and ancient coins suggest the recognition and reverence for Lakshmi by the 1st millennium BCE, Lakshmis iconography and statues have also been found in Hindu temples throughout southeast Asia, estimated to be from the second half of the 1st millennium CE. The festivals of Diwali and Sharad Purnima are celebrated in her honor, Lakshmi is one of many Hindu deities whose meaning and significance evolved in ancient Sanskrit texts. Lakshmi is mentioned once in Rigveda, but the context suggests that the word does not mean goddess of wealth and fortune, the good are welcomed, while the bad urged to leave. In some chapters of Atharva Veda, Lakshmi connotes the good, later, Lakshmi is referred to as the goddess of fortune, identified with Sri and regarded as wife of Viṣṇu. For example, in Shatapatha Brahmana, variously estimated to be composed between 800 BCE and 300 BCE, Sri is part of one of many theories, in ancient India, about the creation of universe. In Book 9 of Shatapatha Brahmana, Sri emerges from Prajapati, after his meditation on creation of life. Sri is described as beautiful, resplendent and trembling woman at her birth with immense energy, the gods were bewitched, desire her and immediately become covetous of her. The gods approach Prajapati and request permission to kill her and then take her powers, Prajapati refuses, tells the gods that males should not kill females and that they can seek her gifts without violence. The hymns of Shatapatha Brahmana thus describe Sri as a goddess born with and personifying a diverse range of talents, in the Epics of Hinduism, such as in Mahabharata, Lakshmi personifies wealth, riches, beauty, happiness, loveliness, grace, charm and splendour

7.
Temple tank
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Temple tanks are wells or reservoirs built as part of the temple complex near Indian temples. They are called pushkarini, kalyani, kunda, sarovara, tirtha, talab, pukhuri, etc. in different languages, some tanks are said to cure various diseases and maladies when bathed in. It is possible that these are remnants of structures such as the Great Bath of Mohenjo-daro. Since ancient times, the design of storage has been important in Indias temple architecture, especially in western India where dry. Temple tank design became an art form in itself and it is lined with green diorite and has no drain. The tanks are used for cleansing and during rites of consecration. The water in the tank is deemed to be sacred water from the Ganges River, in India, a stepwell is a deep masonry well with steps going down to the water level in the well. It is called a vav in west India and a baoli in north India, some were built by kings and were richly ornamented. They often were built by nobility, some being for use from which anyone could obtain water. Haridra Nadhi is the largest temple tank in India, maybe in the world and it is in Mannargudi, Thiruvarur District of Tamil Nadu. It is the tank of one of the largest Hindu temples. The area of the tank is 23 acres which is the largest temple tank in India. It is also called as Daughter of Kaveri river, kalyani, also called pushkarni, are ancient Hindu stepped bathing wells. These wells were built near Hindu temples to accommodate bathing and cleansing activities before prayer. They are also used for immersion of Ganesha idols during Ganesha Chaturthi, in Sikhism temple tanks are called Sarovar. ENVIS Centre for Conservation of Ecological Heritage and Sacred Sites of India, Sacred Waterbodies of India

8.
Vimana (architectural feature)
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Vimana is a term for the tower above the Garbhagriha or Sanctum sanctorum in a Hindu temple. In Akash /Vannam/Aakasha, The Huge Power with all Grahas including Nathstras give Akarshana Sakthi to all People Without any Cost, a typical Hindu temple in Dravidian style may have multiple gopurams, typically constructed into multiple walls in tiers around the main shrine. The temples walls are square with the outer most wall having four gopuras, one each on every side. The sanctum sanctorum and its roof are also called the Vimana. Generally, these do not assume as much significance as the outer gopurams, the kanaka-sabai at Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram is another example. This particular shrine is covered with golden plates but is different in its structure. Historical evidence states that during 9th century Parantaka Chola I funded to cover this Vimana with ornamental gold, the Ananda Nilayam vimanam of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple is a famous example where the gopuram of the main shrine occupies a very special place in the temples history and identity. Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple has two golden vimanas, the one for Lord Shiva and the second one for His consort Meenakshi. The Vimana of the Brihadeeswarar Temple in Tanjore is another example and this form is not very common

9.
Dravidian architecture
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Dravidian architecture was an architectural idiom that emerged in the Southern part of the Indian subcontinent or South India. It consists primarily of temples with pyramid shaped towers and are constructed of sandstone, soapstone or granite and this styled architecture can also be found in parts of North India, Northeastern and central Sri Lanka. Throughout Tamilakam, a king was considered to be divine by nature, the king was the representative of God on earth’ and lived in a “koyil”, which means the “residence of God”. The Modern Tamil word for temple is koil, titular worship was also given to kings. Other words for king like “kō” “king”), “iṟai” “emperor”) and “āṇḍavar” “conqueror”) now primarily refer to God, tolkappiyar refers to the Three Crowned Kings as the “Three Glorified by Heaven”. In the Dravidian-speaking South, the concept of kingship led to the assumption of major roles by state. Mayamata and Manasara shilpa texts estimated to be in circulation by 5th to 7th century AD, is a guidebook on Dravidian style of Vastu Shastra design, construction, sculpture and joinery technique. Isanasivagurudeva paddhati is another text from the 9th century describing the art of building in India in south, in north India, Brihat-samhita by Varāhamihira is the widely cited ancient Sanskrit manual from 6th century describing the design and construction of Nagara style of Hindu temples. Traditional Dravidian architecture and symbolism are also based on Agamas, the Agamas are non-vedic in origin and have been dated either as post-vedic texts or as pre-vedic compositions. Gate-pyramids, Gopuras, which are the features in the quadrangular enclosures that surround the more notable temples. Gopuras are very common in dravidian temples. Pillared halls are used for purposes and are the invariable accompaniments of these temples. In Southern India seven kingdoms and empires stamped their influence on architecture during different times, one such temple, the Saluvannkuppan Murukan temple, unearthed in 2005, consists of three layers. The lowest layer, consisting of a shrine, is one of the oldest of its kind in South India. It is one of two brick shrine pre Pallava Hindu temples to be found in the state, the other being the Veetrirundha Perumal Temple at Veppathur dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The dynasties of early medieval Tamilakkam expanded and erected structural additions to many of these brick shrines, sculptures of erotic art, nature and deities from the Madurai Meenakshi Amman Temple, and the Srirangam Ranganathaswamy Temple date from the Sangam period. The Badami Chalukyas also called the Early Chalukyas, ruled from Badami, Karnataka in the period 543 –753 CE, the finest examples of their art are seen in Pattadakal, Aihole and Badami in northern Karnataka. Over 150 temples remain in the Malaprabha basin, the most enduring legacy of the Chalukya dynasty is the architecture and art that they left behind. More than one hundred and fifty monuments attributed to the Badami Chalukya, the rock-cut temples of Pattadakal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Badami, Aihole and Mahakuta are their most celebrated monuments

10.
Hindu temple
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A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. It is typically used for such buildings belonging to all faiths where a specific term such as church. These include Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism among religions with many modern followers, the form and function of temples is thus very variable, though they are often considered by believers to be in some sense the house of one or more deities. Typically offerings of some sort are made to the deity, and other rituals enacted, the degree to which the whole population of believers can access the building varies significantly, often parts or even the whole main building can only be accessed by the clergy. Temples typically have a building and a larger precinct, which may contain many other buildings. The word comes from Ancient Rome, where a templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest and it has the same root as the word template, a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out on the ground by the augur. Templa also became associated with the places of a god or gods. Hindu temples are large and magnificent with a rich history, there is evidence of use of sacred ground as far back as the Bronze Age and later the Indus Valley Civilization. Hindu temples have been built in countries around the world, including Cambodia, Nepal, Mauritius, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Great Britain. They include the structures called stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions, Temples in Buddhism represent the pure land or pure environment of a Buddha. Traditional Buddhist temples are designed to inspire inner and outer peace, a Jain temple is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Some famous Jain temples are Shikharji, Palitana Jain Temples, Ranakpur Jain Temple, Shravan Belgola, Dilwara Temples, Jain temples are built with various architectural designs. Jain temples in North India are completely different from the Jain temples in South India, additionally, a Manastambha is a pillar that is often constructed in front of Jain temples. The temple of Mesopotamia derived from the cult of gods and deities in the Mesopotamian religion and it spanned several civilizations, from Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, and Babylonian. Ancient Egyptian temples were meant as places for the deities to reside on earth, indeed, the term the Egyptians most commonly used to describe the temple building, ḥwt-nṯr, means mansion of a god. A gods presence in the temple linked the human and divine realms and these rituals, it was believed, sustained the god and allowed it to continue to play its proper role in nature. They were therefore a key part of the maintenance of maat, maintaining maat was the entire purpose of Egyptian religion, and thus it was the purpose of a temple as well. Ancient Egyptian temples were also of significance to Egyptian society

11.
Divya Desam
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A Divya Desam is one of the 108 Vishnu temples that are mentioned in the works of the Tamil Azhvars. Divya means premium and Desam indicates place, the Divya Desams are revered by the 12 Azhvars in the Divya Prabandha, a collection of 4,000 Tamil verses. While most Divya Desams follow Thenkalai mode of worship, some follow Vadakalai too among others, the word azhwar means the one who dives deep into the ocean of the countless attributes of god. Azhwars are considered the twelve supreme devotees of Vishnu, who were instrumental in popularising Vaishnavism during the 5th-8th centuries A. D, the saints had different origins and belonged to different castes. As per tradition, the first three azhwars, Poigai, Bhutha and Pey were born miraculously, according to these texts, the saints were considered incarnations of some form of Vishnu. The songs of Prabandam are regularly sung in all the Vishnu temples of South India daily, according to traditional account by Manavala Mamunigal, the first three azhwars namely Poigai, Bhoothath and Pey belong to Dwapara Yuga. Modern historians place the period of azhwars from the 5th to 8th century AD, but it is widely accepted by tradition and historians that the trio are the earliest among the twelve azhwars. The azhwars were instrumental in promoting the Bhagavatha cult and the two epics of India, namely, Ramayana and Mahabaratha. The azhwars were instrumental in spreading Vaishnavism throughout the region, the verses of the various azhwars were compiled by Nathamuni, a 10th-century Vaishnavite theologian, who called it the Tamil Veda. History of People and Their Environs, philosophy and Theistic Mysticism of the Āl̲vārs. A history of Indian literature, 500-1399, from courtly to the popular, hymns for the Drowning, Poems for Vishnu. The Holy Lives of the Azhvârs, Or, the Drâvida Saints, rajarajan Historical sequence of the Vaiṣṇava Divyadeśas. Acta Orientalia, Societates Orientales Danica Fennica Norvegia Svecia, Vol.74, rajarajan Master-Slave Ambivalence in the hagiography of the Āḻvārs. The Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society 107.1, 44-60, rajarajan Antiquity of the Vaiṣṇava divyakśētras in Pāṇḍinādu. Acta Orientalia, Societates Orientales Danica Fennica Norvegia Svecia, Vol.73, pp. 59-104

12.
Sri Vaishnavism
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Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya or Sri Vaishnavism is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism. The name is derived from Sri referring to goddess Lakshmi as well as a prefix that means sacred, revered, and god Vishnu who are together revered in this tradition. The tradition traces its roots to the ancient Vedas and Pancaratra texts in Sanskrit, tradition is based on the Vishistadvaita vedanta philosophy derived from Sanskrit Veda and Tamil Divya Prabandham. The tradition split into two sub-traditions around the 16th-century called the Vadakalai and Thenkalai, the name Srivaishnavism is derived from two words, Sri and Vaishnavism. The word Sri refers to goddess Lakshmi as well as a prefix that means sacred, revered, the word Vaishnavism refers to a tradition that reveres god Vishnu as the supreme god. The followers of Srivaishnavism are known as Srivaishnava, the historical basis of Sri Vaishnavism is in the syncretism of two developments. Sri Vaishnavism developed in Tamil Nadu in the 10th century, after Nathamuni returned from a pilgrimage to Vrindavan in north India, nathamunis ideas were continued by Yamunacharya, who maintained that the Vedas and Pancaratras are equal, devotional rituals and bhakti are important practices. The legacy of Yamunacharya was continued by Ramanuja, but they never met, Ramanuja, a scholar who studied in an Advaita Vedanta monastery and disagreed with some of the ideas of Advaita, became the most influential leader of Sri Vaishnavism. Around the 18th century, the Sri Vaishnava tradition split into the Vatakalai and Tenkalai, the Vatakalai placed more emphasis on the Sanskrit traditions, while the Tenkalai relied more on the Tamil traditions. This theological dispute between the Vedic and Bhakti traditions traces it roots to the debate between Srirangam and Kanchipuram monasteries between the 13th and 15th century, the debate then was on the nature of salvation and the role of grace. Along with Vishnu, and like Shaivism, the reality and truth is considered in Sri Vaishnavism to be the divine sharing of the feminine and the masculine, the goddess. Sri is regarded as the preceptor of the Sri Vaishnava sampradaya, goddess Sri has been considered inseparable from god Vishnu, and essential to each other, and to the act of mutual loving devotion. Sri and Vishnu act and cooperate in the creation of everything that exists, according to some medieval scholars of Srivashnava theology, states John Carman, Sri and Vishnu do so using divine knowledge that is unsurpassed and through love that is an erotic union. In contrast, in Shaivism, the goddess is the energy and power of Shiva and she is the equal with different roles, supreme in the role of creator and destroyer. Sri Vaishnavisms philosophical foundation was established by Ramanuja, who started his Vedic studies with Yadava Prakasha in an Advaita Vedanta monastery and he brought Upanishadic ideas to this tradition, and wrote texts on qualified monism, called Vishishtadvaita in the Hindu tradition. His ideas are one of three subschools in Vedanta, the two are known as Adi Shankaras Advaita and Madhvacharyas Dvaita. Ramanujas Vishishtadvaita asserts that Atman and Brahman are different, a difference that is never transcended, God Vishnu alone is independent, all other gods and beings are dependent on Him. While the 13th- to 14th-century Madhvacharya asserted both qualitative and quantitative pluralism of souls, Ramanuja asserted qualitative monism and quantitative pluralism of souls, according to Sri Vaishnavism theology, moksha can be reached by devotion and service to the Lord and detachment from the world